Planning your dream vacation in Orlando usually starts with finding the right place to stay. If you're a foodie, choosing a hotel purely based on its dining options may seem like a merry chase for deliciousness. When it comes to many Orlando hotels, independent-style restaurants are serving up thrill rides for your tastes buds with fresh ingredients paired with a side of swagger.

The rail-road inspired design, communal seating and raw oyster bar of this month old restaurant re-defines hotel dining and is pretty eclectic for a Ritz-Carlton. And guests are eating it up-literally. H&H is already notorious for its shrimp and grits, chicken fried chicken, line-caught swordfish, house-made beef jerky and warm donuts paired with Nutella "paint tubes". You can also enjoy craft beers and handcrafted cocktails infused with seasonal fruits and herbs.

Not your typical pool-side dining, towel off for some finger-licking dining in a sanctuary-like setting. Enjoy amazing views of natural Florida while dining on southern BBQ favorites like pulled pork, rotisserie chicken, smoked brisket & house-cured charcuterie. And wash it down with a glass of the fresh Absolute peach ice tea. Soon joining the resort's menu, is it's signature steakhouse. Capa is opening on October 20 with rooftop views of Disney's nightly fireworks from both Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse switches it up from his signature New Orleans style cuisine with Emeril's Tchoup Chop. The restaurant gets its unusual name (pronounced chop chop) from New Orleans' famous Tchoupitoulas Street, where Emeril's parent restaurant is located. Menu offerings take diners on an exotic journey through the Pacific Seas, with bold Asian and Polynesian influenced dishes, complete with views of bamboo, waterfalls, sculpted gardens and giant woks.

Locally sourced ingredients are transformed into fresh and light flavors with a modern twist at Hamilton's Kitchen inside the boutique Alfond Inn hotel in Winter Park. The open kitchen and rustic farmers table are perfect pairings for refreshing dishes incorporating local citrus, strawberries, corn, tomatoes, beef and gulf seafood.

Not your typical lobby bar and restaurant, this dining venture blends the contemporary urban ambiance of this resort's central atrium with farm-to-table ingredients and family-style Italian flavors. The real treasure is the restaurant's extensive drink menu, as bartenders have mastered the "Garden to Glass" method of mixology - preparing handcrafted Italian classics from the Negroni and Aperol Spritz to the "The Artisan," Lemoncello Martini - complete with fresh squeezed juices and fragrant herbs.

With rockstar chefs in the kitchens and a growing portfolio of uniquely designed restaurants, it's no surprise that some of the most exciting food in Orlando is being served in our hotels and resorts.

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